Estela Jumawid IliadisEVAN ILIADIS-INFO. PHILIPPINES YEARS
In the year 2000, my family and I moved to the Philippines, specifically the Island of Bohol. We had visited the island multiple times before making the final decision to settle there. Prior to this, I had been living in California, where I spent my single years, but I found it to be a challenging place to raise children and establish a traditional family, in line with our respective cultural values from the Philippines and France.
Thirteen years after leaving the US, we didn’t find ourselves missing the country. The values of American society, which are centered around the idea of “Don’t ask what the government can do for you, but what you can do for the government,” felt harsh to us, especially coming from Europe where the societal structure is built upon a social security system.
This involves healthy individuals contributing to support the ill, with the understanding that they may receive similar support if they become ill in the future. We were staunchly opposed to entrusting our health to profit-driven Private Health Maintenance Organizations, which are prevalent in the US, and thankfully, we were able to access high-quality medical treatment without facing such challenges.
The patio in front of the house 2.5 M X 5 floor made with parquet “made in house”. One inch thick Mahagony pieces assembled to reproduce designs found in the pre-revolution palaces in France.
The principle, despite some flaws, has never been questioned by any European country. Contrary to what some may think, we are not living on welfare. When disaster strikes, we are simply receiving back some of what we have contributed over the years through taxes and other levies.
And believe me, those contributions are significant! No, we are not living in a communist or socialist country (most people can’t tell the difference anyway), but rather in an insurance system where everyone is covered for everything, against all disasters, based on solidarity and good faith. How about the abusers?
Their number is so low compared to the majority playing by the rules that it is not worth putting the system on trial, as it only serves the right-wing parasites around the world to destabilize our Democracies.
EVAN ILIADIS-INFO. PHILIPPINES YEARS. Stella has a passion for farming and gardening. “The rich girl from America” as the neighbors call her have rarely seen her with high heels shoes and fashion dress. Gins dressing and her yellow 4X4 Suzuki was her favorite lifestyle
In the year 2000, we were welcomed to the Philippines with a red carpet, all thanks to the PNB manager! At that time, a dollar was valued at 56 pesos, cement cost 80 pesos per sack, steel bars were less than half of today’s price, and labor was abundant, costing half of today’s expenses. It was a time when you could afford the dream house you always wanted.
My wife, who has knowledge in farming and agriculture, found her Nirvana in Mindanao, reviving her childhood dream. She realized this dream earlier than expected, before reaching the age of retirement at 38 years old. Without wasting any time, she hired a crew of 20 workers to clean up 30 hectares of land owned by her family and turned the jungle into a garden. The plantation now includes mahogany and Gmelina trees, peanuts, mango and coconut trees, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, watermelon, and jackfruit trees – everything grows there!
I started looking for a land, found one on Panglao Island, 3000 sq. Meters, 200 meters from the sea. Finally! It took me 4 months of daily sports running all over for this “ideal location.” I wanted it to be cheap and beautiful! And It is both!
In my turn, I hired a crew of 10 workers, some good craftsmen in masonry and carpentry, others I trained them to become as good as the others. Good people, as long as you know how to be firm on expectations and generous in compensation.
First thing first, I built a temporary native house of a total living space 250 sq.m, something that triggered the admiration of all neighbors and visitors. It was something unique and the talk of the town. Made with “sasa” (10 centimeters diameter bamboo sliced and opened to make flat sheets nailed on both sides of the frame made with 4×4 Gmelina. Moved in from a rented house in Taloto, now I can think of the “real” house. I started by fencing the area, hollow blocks on the lower part, iron bars above. A big job for a 3000 sq m. ol. of land, a 4 m. wide cemented driveway from the gate all the way to the entrance of the house, about 200 m long.
Stela began planting palm trees; she chose 30 of a variety called “dwarfs” as we thought would grow low. Yeah, right! Talk about dwarfs! You’ll see in other pictures what we got in just 7 years! Huge! tall and full of coconut juice fruits!.. Then, multicolored species of Orchid flowers start climbing, covering the iron fence, people passing by have never seen that before.
Sheets of sasa are lying on the floor, treated with Solignum, and nailed on both sides of the frame. Laborous, time consuming work but the result is worth the effort.
Evan Iliadis blog 